Halo 3 has gone golden!

9/25/07

Halo 3 Trailer: 2nd Impressions

Watching it the first time, I was mainly focused on plot hints and amazed my the mood and atmosphere of the trailer.
Now comes the scrutiny.
Graphically, the trailer represents a huge overall leap from the Multiplayer Beta.
However, the trailer seemed to show scenes from polished and unpolished levels.
I specifically noticed at the end when Master Chief looks on the table, their is no real-time reflection on his visor as seen in 2006 E3's trailer. Instead it is very very similar to what we are accustomed to seing in Halo 2.
Bottom line is that I beieve that some scenes in this trailer were not polished. Atleast I hope they werent. If that was the final game, it is a huge let down from what was shown at E3 2006. I was hopeing Bungie didnt set the bar too high then but after viewing this trailer, I can only hope it gets better.

Real time reflection in the visor?

The Halo 3 E3 Eyegasm

Its that time for teasing again. Yesterday Bungie released new screenshots and videos of their baby, Halo 3 for all to view. Apart from containing infinite eye candy, the trailer saw several emotional swings and revealed a few small details with big impacts on the storyline.
Go ahead and check it out below.



All I can say is... "Wow"

Here It Comes: Let the Price War Begin

As reported earlier Sony is set to slash $100 off the PS3 in the United States, making it very close to the price of an XBOX 360 Elite ($479). Well guess what? If reports on the internet are true, Microsoft is preparing to slash the 360s price significantly. Whats changed?
Microsoft has started to produce XBOX 360 chipsets differently. The main change is from a 90nm to a 65 nm. This is cheaper because it uses less materil and is smaller.
It should be a very interesting holiday season.

PS3 for $499??

Yes you read right. According to several retailers including bestbuy and target, Sonys PS3 console will drop from $599.99 to $499.99 . No word if this affects the 20 GB model. This is a sign of desperation from Sony, as it has already been stated that a PS3 60 GB unit costs $840 to produce. Even though this may sell more units; the more units sold spikes the losses up even higher. Looks like those Sony execs will have to skip that pay raise this year.
Perhpas the cheapest PS3 available?

PS1+PS2=PS3!

Gears of What?

So here it comes. The Crown Jewel of the XBOX game library is coming closer and closer. As usual, Bungie Studios has set on teasing us as much as possible. And yesterday, they released a new screenshot in-game. Simply put, the screenshot looks stunning. Myself personally, I cannot wait until September 25th so I can slay through Halo in full 720p glory.

XBOX 360 vs PS3- Differences that Matter

What am I using to Compare?
For the XBOX vs PS3 comparison I am using a XBOX 360 Elite and a 60 Gig PS3
Difference 1: Price
The 60 Gig PS3 costs $599.99 and you get;
60 Gig PS3
Blu-Ray player
1 SIXAXIS Wireless controller
RCA Cable
USB cable
The XBOX 360 Elite costs $479.99 and you get;
120 Gig HD (!)
DVD Drive
RCA cable/HDMI cable included
1 Wireless controller



The Disk Drives.
Blu-ray is a new format that can hold between 20-50GB. XBOX 360 uses a 9GB DVD format. Why does this matter? Game developers can fit twice as much 'stuff' in a BLu-Ray disk than a DVD disk. More textures, more lighting affects, more everything.
The Controllers
The Sony PS3 has the new SIXAXIS controller, while the XBOX 360 has the option of corded or wireless controller. (Although the wireless version is included.) Although SIXAXIS seems like a cool feature, many games do not include this feature, which is a shame. Another problem I have with the SIXAXIS controller is the fact that the battery is built in and to be charged it must be plugged into the PS3 unit with the unit running. With the XBOX 360, the wireless controller uses 2 AA batteries which are instantly charged and easy to replace.
The Output.
Both systems are able to output in 1080p, the highest output available. However out of the box, only the XBOX 360 will be outputing in 1080p as Sony does not include a HDMI cable with the system. This fact I believe stinks. If your going to fork out for a $600.00 system then you want to be able to make the best use of it out of the box.
Most important, The Games.
Right now, XBOX 360 seems to hold the upper hand as many exclusives are held by XBOX 360 with many others being first created for 360 then being ported to the PS3. Because of this, alot of the titles look best on the 360 since they have to be adjusted for the PS3's architecture. Speaking of which, one problem developers have had with the PS3 is how difficult and expensive it is to program for. Many titles have been delayed (Inculding Medal of Honor Airborne recently) because of the compleixity of the PS3 unit. As of now, we arent even close to the potential the PS3 has. However I dont think that limit can be reached for 2 reasons. One because of the enormous financial burden required to reach that limit and 2) because you can develop for the XBOX 360 for 2/3 the cost. Another point to look at is the fact that the XBOX 360 has a larger install base than the PS3 right now. Spend less, sell more. Makes sense to me.

Bottom Line:
The PS3 contains great potential to provide absolutley stunning graphics and games. However I believe it is ahead of its time and due to enormous production costs, the potential will never be fully tapped into. The only way the PS3 can survive is by securing exclusives, something which it has failed to do.

Right now the XBOX 360 is the better unit based on some of the points mentioned above. However their are other factors that can be considered (the much over-hyped CELL processor for example). But one thing both Microsoft and Sony better watch out for is the run-away success of the Wii, which has the ability to reshape the Gaming Industry completley.